Question 1

The original seven offenses in the _____________ became the "index crimes" published yearly in the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports.

Accepted Answer

The Major Crimes Act of 1885 is the legislation that originally defined certain offenses which later became known as the "index crimes" in the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports. This act was pivotal in establishing federal jurisdiction over major crimes committed by Native Americans in Indian Country.

Question 2

From the time of the Dawes Act to 1934, the Indians lost approximately how much of their lands to whites?

Accepted Answer

From the time of the Dawes Act in 1887 until 1934, Native Americans lost approximately two-thirds of their lands to whites, largely due to the allotment process and subsequent sale of "surplus" lands.

Question 3

In which case did the legal status of Indians hit its lowest point?

Accepted Answer

The case of Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock (1903) marked a low point for the legal status of Native Americans as it upheld the U.S. government's power to unilaterally break treaties with Native American tribes, effectively nullifying their sovereignty and treaty rights.

Question 4

In which year did the U.S. Congress finally confer American citizenship on all Indians in the Indian Citizenship Act?

Accepted Answer

The U.S. Congress conferred American citizenship on all Native Americans born in the U.S. with the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924.

Question 5

Although it supposedly accorded every Indian the same legal rights that whites enjoyed, which of the following eliminated tribal sovereignty and law?

Accepted Answer

The policy of termination aimed to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream American society by eliminating tribal sovereignty and law, thereby ending the special relationship between Native American tribes and the federal government.

Question 6

From the time they arrived in the United States, which group was subjected to special taxes; barred from holding land or citizenship; and beaten, lynched, and driven out of towns all across the West?

Accepted Answer

The Chinese immigrants faced significant discrimination and harsh treatment upon their arrival in the United States. They were subjected to special taxes, barred from holding land or citizenship, and often faced violence including being beaten, lynched, and driven out of towns, especially in the Western regions of the country. This was part of a broader pattern of anti-Chinese sentiment that culminated in laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which severely restricted Chinese immigration and naturalization.

Question 7

Although previous legislative efforts to limit immigration from "undesirable" European countries by individual states had been ruled unconstitutional, the U.S. Congress passed which act in 1882 without legal challenge?

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which was the first significant law restricting immigration into the United States. This act specifically targeted Chinese laborers, prohibiting their immigration for ten years and marking a significant shift in U.S. immigration policy.

Question 8

In which landmark case did the U.S. Supreme Court rule that the government could not deny citizenship to anyone born in the United States?

Accepted Answer

United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898) is the landmark case where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government could not deny citizenship to anyone born in the United States, establishing an important precedent for birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment.

Question 9

Executive Order 9066 was justified as a "_______________," but very few of the many more numerous "enemy aliens" of German or Italian origin were likewise rounded up.

Accepted Answer

Executive Order 9066, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II, was justified as a "military necessity" to protect against espionage and sabotage from individuals of Japanese descent in the United States, leading to the internment of Japanese Americans.

Question 10

In which case did the U.S. Supreme Court rule that although interment was constitutionally suspect, it was justified during circumstances of wartime "emergency and peril" and that the government's need to protect against espionage outweighed individual rights?

Accepted Answer

Korematsu v. United States is the case where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, though constitutionally suspect, was justified under the circumstances of wartime "emergency and peril." The Court held that the need to protect against espionage outweighed Fred Korematsu's individual rights.

Question 11

Which U.S. Supreme Court case began the release of all Japanese detainees and the beginning of the struggle for redress?

Accepted Answer

Ex Parte Endo (1944) was the U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively began the process of releasing Japanese Americans from internment camps during World War II. The Court ruled that the U.S. government could not continue to detain a citizen who was "concededly loyal" to the United States. This decision marked the beginning of the end of the internment policy and the start of the struggle for redress and reparations for those who were interned.

Question 12

Until fairly recently, Hispanics have been a "_______________ minority," which may be why few people can identify circumstances, issues, and struggles associated with this group while most educated people have at least some knowledge of the struggles faced in the past by other minority groups.

Accepted Answer

The term "silent minority" is used to describe Hispanics in this context, indicating that their struggles and issues have not been as widely recognized or vocalized in public discourse as those of other minority groups.

Question 13

Which Texas immigration case put an end to disenfranchisement efforts against Hispanics?

Accepted Answer

In re Rodriguez (1897) was a landmark case that challenged the disenfranchisement of Hispanics in Texas, leading to the recognition of their rights as citizens and ending efforts to disenfranchise them based on race.

Question 14

Which treaty ceded over 525,000 square miles of territory to the United States (present-day Texas, Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, as well as parts of Colorado, Kansas, and Wyoming)?

Accepted Answer

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed in 1848, ended the Mexican-American War and resulted in Mexico ceding a vast area of territory to the United States, including the present-day states mentioned.

Question 15

According to U.S. law, American-born citizens cannot be "_______________" because the term means "return to one's native land".

Accepted Answer

Repatriation refers to the process of returning to one's country of origin or citizenship. Since American-born citizens are already in their native land, they cannot be repatriated in the context of returning to the United States.

Question 16

Which of the following is true regarding the Bracero Program

Accepted Answer

The Bracero Program required farmers to bear the costs of transporting contract laborers from Mexico and ensuring their return after their contracts expired. This was part of the agreement to supply U.S. farmers with temporary laborers from Mexico.

Question 17

In which case did the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rule that the Fourteenth Amendment rights extend to all racial/ethnic groups?

Accepted Answer

Hernandez v. Texas was the landmark case where the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment protections apply to all racial and ethnic groups facing discrimination, not just African Americans. This 1954 decision expanded civil rights protections to include Mexican Americans and all other racial groups in the United States.

Question 18

Which of the following prohibited illegal aliens from obtaining social services such as health care and public education, with the expectation that this would prevent more illegal immigration and even drive some back across the border?

Accepted Answer

The Save Our State Initiative, also known as Proposition 187, was a 1994 ballot initiative in California that sought to establish a state-run citizenship screening system and prohibit illegal aliens from using non-emergency health care, public education, and other services in the State of California.

Question 19

In which case did the U.S. Supreme Court deny Indian tribal sovereignty criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians in Indian country?

Accepted Answer

In Oliphant v. Suquamish (1978), the U.S. Supreme Court held that Indian tribal courts do not have jurisdiction to try and punish non-Indians, even if the crime occurs on an Indian reservation. This decision significantly limited the sovereignty of Indian tribes over their own territory by excluding non-Indians from their criminal jurisdiction.

Question 20

Despite less political "muscle" than any other minority, Asians have gone from being loathed as the "yellow peril" to being lauded as the:

Accepted Answer

Asians have been referred to as the "model minority" due to stereotypes that suggest they achieve a higher degree of socioeconomic success than the population average, often in the context of discussing immigration and education in the United States.

Quiz 13: Racial Minorities and the Law